


I'll colour me blue (only see myself when I'm looking up at you)

by TurtlemanTremors084 (Killjoys4life)



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, F/F, i'll figure out the rest of the tags at a later date
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-18
Updated: 2020-03-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:46:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23195737
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Killjoys4life/pseuds/TurtlemanTremors084
Summary: Melinda May fears that she may never meet her soulmate. Enter Bobbi Morse, a walking mystery that almost makes her forget about her fears.(aka the Maybobbi soulmate au that someone did ask for)For the Roaring 20's Rarepair Fic Exchange
Relationships: Background Victoria Hand/Isabelle Hartley, Melinda May/Bobbi Morse, Phil Coulson & Melinda May
Comments: 6
Kudos: 19





	I'll colour me blue (only see myself when I'm looking up at you)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [sunalso](https://archiveofourown.org/users/sunalso/gifts).



> Many thanks to 26stars/loved-the-stars-too-fondly for betaing this, and to multiple members of Team Space who had to put up with me whining about this fic.

Melinda May knew many facts about soulmates. They could manifest as the closest of friends, passionate lovers, or anything in between. Most people had a mark, line of text, or the appearance or disappearance of an ability to point them in the direction of a partner or partners who will share a near-unbreakable bond.

Some people never met their soulmates.

Melinda knew that scientifically soulmarks were random and the bonds were chemically induced. Throughout history one manifestation of the bond or another was deemed inferior and those people were discriminated against. Her own parents didn’t share that bond. They made it a priority to tell her that they still loved each other even though they weren't bonded, and little Mellie was content to just let bullies' words wash over her. 

Love was love, and a soulmark couldn't change that.

Then she started middle school, and her parents began to fight when they thought she couldn't hear. By the time Melinda was in high school and knew how to knock any bully flat on their ass, they divorced.

She _knew_ that soulmates could get divorced or never married in the first place, but this seemed to confirm every one of those kids' cruel taunts. Melinda wasn’t born with a mark, but many people didn’t develop one until they met their soulmate. That did nothing to ease her fears, and she started to believe that she didn’t have a soulmate.

* * *

Joining the police academy out of college placed more strain on her already distressed relationship with her parents. Her mother, a former lawyer, was angered by Melinda's decision to follow such a dangerous career path. Six years into working at SHIELD, a division of the police department that specialized in soulmate related crimes, and she learned, two hundred times over, that soulmates are complicated, and not always in a good way.

Thirty came and went, and she moved to patrol after the Bahrain case. She still lived with her old partner, Phil, but everything changed with that case. However, the long line of incompetent officers assigned to Melinda almost made her beg for an administrative position. She just couldn't go back to SHIELD, and patrol felt like pulling teeth.

Melinda was preparing to request a position in administration when Bobbi Morse transferred from a nearby county. She wrote off the younger woman as yet another inexperienced officer who would be hell-bent on giving Melinda her first grey hair. Melinda was never more thankful that she was wrong.

Within a few days, she saw how quickly Officer Morse could catch details that others missed, how she kept her head down but didn't hesitate to stand up for herself, and how she was already on the fast track to becoming a detective. Bobbi was a rising star, and Melinda was glad to have someone competent for the short period before she rose through the ranks. Bobbi never took the detective's exam.

She always waited for May's command during a confrontation. Bobbi was skilled, yet carried herself like a rookie; expressive when she wanted to be but kept her true feelings close to her chest. Bobbi Morse was a puzzle, and Melinda didn’t know what to do about that.

* * *

They grew close after Bobbi was injured, a well-placed kick from a fleeing suspect putting her knee out of commission for a couple months. Once she returned to duty, albeit _desk duty_ , Melinda thought that things would return to the way they were before. She’d continue making her way down the never-ending list of horrible partners, and Bobbi would remain a five month break from the struggle.

For a few weeks, that was what happened. Melinda was assigned a temporary patrol partner, and her current interactions with Bobbi were limited even though they still worked in the same building. She went on patrols with Hand while Hartley was out on maternity leave, and Bobbi worked at the dreaded front desk. Hand wasn’t _completely_ horrible, and this became her new business as usual.

Except, that wasn't _entirely_ true. She found herself walking past Bobbi's old locker when she grabbed gear from the locker room. It was three rows away from hers and one of the furthest lockers from the exit, a completely unnecessary trip but it was practically ingrained inside her DNA. Two full weeks of passing that damned locker and she had enough.

Melinda dropped off a cup of coffee with her usual wave when she saw Bobbi at the front desk. She refused to think further about the fact that she knew Bobbi's _exact_ coffee order when she didn't learn Phil's morning concoction until they had lived together for two years.

Melinda took to dropping off coffee and having a little conversation like a fish to water. Their morning interactions were smooth, and she came to look forward to them after a particularly rough day. She was even working better with Hand, now that there wasn't this odd Bobbi-shaped cloud hanging over her and her performance.

* * *

Another week passed before Bobbi invited Melinda to her place as a thank you. She accepted the offer, immediately regretted it, and shoved all her nerves deep down until they sprang to the surface when she knocked on the door.

The night went well, but May was entirely too _comfortable_ in her coworker's apartment. Sure, she dropped by Bobbi's apartment a few times a week while she was on leave, but that was duty. Her partner had been injured and May would be an ass if she didn't spend some time with her recuperating co-worker, especially when it was her fault, as a superior officer, that Bobbi got hurt.

After a dinner of take out and cheap wine, they moved to the couch to watch _Star Wars,_ of all things. She would say that the movies were awful before suffering through another one of Phil's Mega Movie Marathons, but the night was quite enjoyable. 

Melinda didn’t know why it was so _awkward._ They had spent evenings together while Bobbi was injured. Melinda had forced her way in, plopped onto the couch, and stole the blanket that was draped over Bobbi’s knees. She spent enough time here that she was complacent.

“Are we dating?”

If she was less complacent, there was a chance Melinda might have been ready for _that._ She wasn’t. Her mouth hung open for a few seconds before she managed to force out a word, “What?”

“May, we’ve spent more time together in the last few months than I’ve spent with any other person. Are we together?” 

“We’re not soulmates!”

“I never said that we were. Do you believe that only soulmates should date?” Her voice rose at the end, and Melinda could hear the uncertainty. The unreadable Bobbi Morse was an open book in front of her, and she didn’t know what to say.

“You are an _enigma_. I’ve spent years trying to figure out if I wanted to kiss you or move to Alaska so I’d have an easier time avoiding you, and you’re saying that you feel the same way,” she blurted out. 

"The ‘Alaska’ part is a bit specific, but- did you ever stop to think that maybe I wanted to kiss you, too?”

Melinda was still astonished by how the conversation was going and didn't stop herself from challenging, "Then why _don't_ you?"

The words spilled from her lips before she could take them back and heat flooded to her cheeks. Bobbi stared back at her, equally shocked, and she wanted to say something, anything, to fix _this_. 

A smile worked its way across Bobbi’s lips and _something_ danced in her eyes. Melinda tried to discover what it was, before Bobbi raised a hand to tangle in the hair at the nape of Melinda's neck.

Bobbi pulled Melinda to her and she connected their lips.

* * *

After that night, Melinda found herself operating better on duty. Bobbi still took up an alarming amount of real estate in her mind, but she became a friendly tenant.

Melinda still lapped to the front of the building with coffee. They seamlessly squeezed dates and movie nights into their schedule, and Melinda was surprised by just how _normal_ it felt. 

She had dated other people before Bobbi, but there was always this cloud that followed those relationships. Her work or the lack of a soulmark of some kind usually added a fair amount of tension that she just didn't need.

They were both police officers, had patrolled together for months before Bobbi's injury, but that fear stuck around. That stupid little voice that whispered about Melinda being unlovable still remained. It mocked her in the years after high school, screamed after the Bahrain case, but shut the hell up when she was around Bobbi.

* * *

"I think I love her."

She said it after dinner on one of the few nights a week that she and Phil were off duty at a reasonable eating time. He made something delicious, as always, but she couldn't focus on anything other than the words that were trapped in her head all day.

He placed their dishes in the sink and shuffled back to her. On any other day, Melinda would be irritated by his all-knowing gaze, but today was gearing up to be _unique._

She glanced over, and Phil stared back. He didn’t look surprised. 

He only met her eyes for a split second before clapping his hands and grasping her arm. Phil guided her back into the kitchen and pointed at the cupboards like they held the key to the city, or at least the answer to his dramatics.

"What do you see?" he asked, expecting some meaningful answer.

"That we need to go grocery shopping?" Melinda quipped.

He shot her a look, "That you're out of tea."

She opened her mouth, but he cut her off. "May, in the century and a half that we've known each other, have you ever run out of tea?

"Every morning, you and Bobbi get breakfast together, whether it's on your way to work or at the cafe by her place. Your toothbrush disappeared from it's holder three weeks ago, and even though most of my things are in moving boxes, I honestly can't find a single item of yours in this apartment.

"Mel,” he placed his palms on her shoulders, “I can see that you're in love with Bobbi. _Nick Fury_ in his one-eyed glory can see that you're in love with Bobbi. The only person who didn't notice this three years ago is you."

He was right.

Bobbi grew on her. They started to spend time together outside of work and, by the time she was injured, Melinda was her closest contact in the city. Their friendship and romantic relationship came as a complete surprise to her. She was _in love_ with Bobbi Morse, and _that_ was a gut-punch. 

* * *

A movie played on the TV, but Melinda couldn't have identified the plot if it hit her between the eyes. She was trapped in her own head, thinking about her earlier conversation with Phil. Unconsciously, her gaze was drawn to the woman beside her.

Bobbi was enraptured by the television, and Melinda was hypnotized by _her_. The soft glow from the screen illuminated her features, reflected in her eyes, and illustrated every slight shift in the lines of her face. Bobbi's tongue darted out to wet her lips, and Melinda rushed to capture them with her own.

"Hi, there," was whispered against her lips when they finally pulled apart.

"Hey. We just missed the destruction of the Death Star."

Sure enough, the music quieted and the glowing remains of the Death Star scattered across the screen. Melinda didn’t want to move away from Bobbi to look for the remote.

"Your tea's getting cold," Bobbi stated, her eyes darting to Melinda's lips.

"I don't care about the tea," she mumbled.

Bobbi chuckled, and just _stared_ in a rare reversal of speechlessness. Melinda resumed her exploration of Bobbi’s lips before kissing her way down Bobbi's jaw. 

Their drinks and the television were long forgotten as their minds became occupied only with thoughts of each other. Fingers gripped the back of her blouse, and she reached down to tug at the hem of Bobbi’s shirt.

“Wait,”

Melinda froze. They’ve never talked about moving forwards _physically_. Maybe she moved too fast.

She started to pull back, moving carefully not to bump into Bobbi’s leg.

“Can I do it?” She turned her head before the end of the sentence, and pulled the t-shirt off with one hand.

Melinda was still shocked by the sudden turn of events, but she recognized an old gunshot wound, a faded scar that stood out from the soft skin on Bobbi’s chest.

“I was a rookie, fresh out of the academy and cocky,” her lips twitched but her eyes were far away, “ran head-first into something I shouldn’t have and almost didn’t walk out. I was unbelievably lucky. Here I am, nearly a decade later, and I’m out of the field _again_ because I got hurt _again_. How can I protect people when I can’t even protect myself?”

She let out a deep breath and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand. They gazed into each other’s eyes for what felt like forever. Something _shifted_.

“It’s a piece of your puzzle.”

At Bobbi’s confused look, Melinda continued, “I’ve spent every day since you walked into my life trying to ‘figure you out’. This scar, your knee, those are parts of you, but it’s not _all_ you are. I’ve learned so many things that I can’t even list them, and this is just one more, albeit _important_ , part.”

“I love you, Mel.” The words rolled off Bobbi’s tongue like she’d said them a thousand times before.

“I’m in love with you, Bobbi.”

She grinned and leaned forward, but Melinda stopped her with a raised finger.

She laid her left hand in the center of Bobbi’s chest to balance herself, swept two fingers over the scar, and pressed a light kiss to the knotted flesh. She pulled back but kept her hand in place.

There was a delayed reaction. Bobbi laid her hand on Melinda’s jaw and pulled her into a passionate kiss. Her skin tingled, and she could feel dampness on her cheeks, unsure if it was Bobbi's tears or her own. Melinda's pulse roared in her ears and their mutual need for oxygen parted their lips.

Their foreheads still touched, and she could feel Bobbi's shaky breaths against her face. Melinda brushed the tips of her fingers up and down Bobbi's back before moving to her bra clasp.

Bobbi’s eyes flew open, delicate lashes sweeping across Melinda's cheeks. She stilled her movements and raked her eyes over Bobbi's features, looking for hesitation or regret and finding _bewilderment_.

"Do- do you feel that?" Bobbi stuttered.

Melinda pulled her hands back, resting them in her lap, while Bobbi's remained on her neck.

She was about to ask when she felt _it_. Melinda ripped her eyes away from Bobbi's to examine her burning fingers. Her entire left hand was covered in a quickly darkening orange, and her pointer and middle fingers were painted with the same color.

The space beneath Bobbi’s collarbone was smeared with a dark navy, and an identically-colored handprint blossomed in the center of her chest, disappearing underneath her bra strap.

Bobbi's voice echoed around her, a joke murmured in disbelief, but she didn't catch it.

Everything started to fade. Melinda couldn't focus on anything other than the red. In hindsight, it was much brighter than blood, more comparable to a deep orange than a crimson. Her brain clearly couldn't make that distinction.

All the cases that went wrong, the cases that she thought were buried somewhere deep in her mind surged forward. Melinda felt like she was fraying at the edges, and the only thing keeping her in one piece was the awful tingling in her palm. 

The sensation was replaced by pressure, and she opened her eyes. Bobbi’s hand was intertwined with hers.

She brought Melinda’s hand to her lips. The uptick in one corner of Bobbi’s mouth was barely visible beyond the curve of her hand. It was a beautiful sight nonetheless.

“I love you.”

“Yeah? I hope you feel the same way after the mountain of paperwork that we’ll have to sign tomorrow.”

Melinda tilted her head back and laughed. After a few seconds, Bobbi joined in. They were hysterical. This evening robbed them of any sense that they would have had, and Melinda had collapsed into Bobbi’s arms, tears of laughter making their trek down her cheeks. 

By the time she regained her wits, she felt lighter. A glance at their connected hands revealed that the color had settled. Their current position was uncomfortable, but Melinda placed her hand on Bobbi’s chest instead of moving. The minor cramp in her leg was forgotten when her red covered Bobbi’s blue seamlessly.


End file.
